Cohasset’s Davis a team player

Many teenage tennis stars don’t play for their high school program. Cohasset sophomore Emma Davis, who won her second straight individual state singles title last weekend, loves the camaraderie, though.

When Cohasset’s Emma Davis won the individual state singles tennis championship last weekend, it came as a surprise to no one.

Davis, a 5-6 sophomore, was the defending champion, after all, and still hasn’t dropped a match (or even a single set) in her two-year high school career.

But despite all of the success Davis has experienced in two years, it’s everything else that she’s most proud of.

“This whole year has just been awesome,” she said. “Being a part of this team, everyone has been so supportive. All of the seniors all came to my singles matches, and it’s just been a great vibe.”

Tennis is a solitary endeavor, so being a part of a team was something that Davis was looking forward to for quite some time.

“Even in the eighth grade I just kept saying that I wanted to be a part of a team,” Davis said. “I had never really been on one before. So to be able to cheer on teammates and make friends that I never thought I would make has been great.”

That camaraderie prompted Davis to return to Cohasset High tennis this spring instead of focusing solely on her play in juniors. Coach Gigi Meehan was particularly pleased with that decision as it helped the Skippers advance to the Division 3 state semifinals.

“I was surprised she came back,” Meehan said. “A lot of kids wouldn’t have after the freshman year she had. There was a lot of pressure on her this year. She was expected to win and she really had everything to lose.”

Meehan believes that Davis’ attitude, not her serve or forehand, that makes her such a great player.

“She just has such a great ability to balance her life,” Meehan said. “Tennis isn’t everything that Emma is, and I think that helps. Some players make tennis everything there is, but Emma does so many other things that it really allows her to compete and to enjoy doing it.”

Davis is unsure if she will play again for Cohasset next year or simply concentrate on her USTA work – she is ranked No. 2 in New England in the 18-and-under category.

But regardless of her decision for next year, the future is bright. Tennisrecuiting.net ranks her 18th in the nation among rising juniors.

“She’ll have her pick from a lot of colleges,” said Meehan, “because on top of being a great tennis player she’s really smart, too.

“I don’t know how long I’ll have Emma Davis, so I just made sure that I made the most of it while she was here.”